The Starbuck Files
by earthrite
Summary: New BSG meets XFiles. Starbuck finds Earth. Mulder finds Starbuck. Each one wants to believe, but can they really believe in what they’ve found?
1. Snowballs

Authors Note

I've had fun bringing Starbuck and Mulder together in the frozen wastes; Mulder following a lead from the Lone Gunmen and Starbuck sent out in search of Earth. Both of them equally frosty and not likely to thaw until Chapter 2, when sparks start to fly with Scully.

NO FLAMING. Please R and R.

Disclaimer:

MULDER: Why did she have to stick us out here in the cold?

STARBUCK: Well, she had to start it somewhere. What kind of wimpy character are you anyway.

MULDER: She didn't create me you know. You can't blame her for that.

STARBUCK: Too right. I know I only have the Gods to thank for my existence. You sticking around to see where this one goes?

MULDER: Sure. If it gets me back in the warm sometime soon.

AUTHOR: Hey, you two, any chance we could get on with this? I didn't dream up either of you, or your back stories, but right now we have places to go.

* * *

Chapter 1 Snowballs

Mulders struggled to see through the white out surrounding the vehicle, the wipers doing little to keep the screen clear of the heavily falling snow. Wheels slewed and skidded on the icy hard-packed surface as he fought with the wheel for control of the old heap he was 'driving'. A while back he had been forced to slow to this maddening pace from the frantic lurching and bumping of the minor road, when he left it for the

lunacy of this tiny track. So now he was stuck with crawling along – getting nowhere fast.

He checked again the screen of the GPS device on the seat beside him, according to that this track didn't even exist and he was down to doing his best to home in on the point in the middle of nothing which Frohike had assured him was the closest he could drive to the spot where something had come down last night. They'd better be right, this was no holiday. And none of them could even be sure it was worth this crazy chase.

Nothing, absolutely nothing, had showed up on anything, except the slightest of tremours in the ice of a nearby glacier. Of all the Lone Gunmen, it was Langly, crazy, paranoid Langley, who had jumped on this tiny piece of information sifted from the world wide dross by one of his many programmes. They constantly ran information from all over the globe on the lookout for anything he didn't think he would like. He thought this one must be evidence of some nuclear test somewhere out here, but Byers had taken a look and counted that idea right out. Not the right pulses, ripples or some other stuff. Damn this snow!

Anyway, between the three of them the Gunmen had decided it needed looking at and, since their favourite FBI pooch was currently on enforced 'R and R' they had naturally, called Mulder.

And now here he was, chasing one more freaky rumble and fabricated idea. Why the Hell did they always have to be somewhere so damn cold?

'Ah, nuts!' Mulder bashed the wheel with this palms, his already strained features now tracing a grimace as the vehicle finally slammed to a halt. He rubbed his face in his hands, gazing at the flakes gathering quickly in the screen in front of him. Then took a moment to check the GPS again. Pretty near now, just a couple of miles out to the East of his current position.

* * *

'Ah frak!' Starbuck rubbed her right temple with the ball of her hand, 'What the…Let's just try this…' She fumed through gritted teeth. Her fingers fiddled with the catches of her harness again. 'Ah! Ow!' Her head thumped against the inside of the cockpit as the harness finally freed her, sending her tumbling to the left.

And landing on her side.

'Damn it!' she yelled, with a furious thrust of her head, angry now, at herself, for the crappy landing. They'd have to work on the terrain sensors when she got back to the Fleet. Snow cover was tricky stuff to deal with, but not impossible. She had been too trusting of the instruments. But this white-out hadn't left her much choice, she couldn't eyeball that landing in these conditions. The angle wasn't too bad though, she should be able to raise the Blackbird again, when the time came.

Now she had to focus on her mission. Find some habitation, make contact, and see who, or what, inhabited this rock. The signs were promising, and the route she and Adama had worked out from their combined knowledge, sighting of the Lagoon Nebula at the Tomb of Athena, and projected position allowing for the numerous millennia which had past, COULD mean that she now sat on Earth. Now believed by most to be only the mythical home world of all humankind, but held by some to be the true spawning ground of every family in the Colonies. And most likely the only hope of survival for the ragged remains of the human race now fighting for survival on the ships of a dwindling fleet, out there between the stars.

Starbuck checked the contents of her pack and pulled out the heavy, hooded jacket she had borrowed from Chief Tyrol and stowed at the last minute, stuffing her flight helmet into the space it left behind her seat. Too long aboard Galactica could make you forget about life in a real climate and the need for warm clothing. So she pulled on an extra, thin layer before fastening the flight jacket of her uniform and wrestling into the over-size jacket over the whole lot. Double checking the shut down she opened the cockpit and prepared to leave the Blackbird. A thrill of anticipation and trepidation ran through her, warming her against the biting cold as she stepped down from the ship. And she hoped again that she had chosen well the spot where her ride would wait out her stay on this planet.

Sealing the ship behind her, she set off in the direction of the nearest habitation, according to her hasty readings, taken on the flight in.

* * *

Slamming the truck door behind him, Mulder swung the small pack onto his back, squinting into the snow before getting his head down for the hike ahead.

He'd had little time to do more than grab his cold weather gear, stop by to pick up this GPS gizmo from the Lone Gunmen, and leave a vague message for Scully, asking her to feed his fish for a few days while he was out of town. Boy, how he'd pay for that when he got back. She would be fuming right now, about how irresponsible he was, how he didn't trust her, why he had been talked into this crazy trip. Mulder smiled as he pictured her, pacing around indignantly tearing a strip off Langley for setting Mulder off on this one. Byers would be trying to placate her, while Frohike sat back a little in hiss chair to get a better look at her calves, smiling quietly all the while. No doubt Scully would surprise him by rounding suddenly on him, with some accusation and exasperated that all Frohike could do was sit there smirking.

Mulder scrabbled ineffectually at his pocket, cursing as he was forced to take off his bulky glove to take out the global positioning thingey to check his bearings again. The snow had almost stopped altogether, and he could see a little further now, to the top of a gentle rise above him. Putting the little device away and zipping up his pocket, he wiped snow from his eyebrows before putting his glove back on and setting out again, up the slope.

* * *

Starbuck watched silently as the figure broke free of the deeply drifted snow in the hollow, and stamped on up the slope past her. Whatever this was, it was clearly no soldier or security patrol. She had skirted around his path with astonishing ease, and how he had failed to spot her she had no idea. This individual clearly did not expect to be tracked and feared nothing out here.

It didn't appear to be armed, though she couldn't be sure. It wasn't working at anything. In fact, it seemed to be searching for something, in an ineffectual, stumbling sort of way. She thought for a moment. She could make contact now, try to get some idea of where she was, how things looked, or she could press on, find some settlement and run the risk of running into military or law enforcement. She reached a decision and continued to move, quietly, quickly, invisibly.

* * *

'Shit!' Mulder couldn't help the exclamation, stopping dead as a figure appeared suddenly in his path. Landing cat-like right in front of him, feet planted firmly apart, arms clear of it's sides and shoulders bunched in readiness for quick, powerful movement.

Mulder was taken by surprise and stood up quickly, staggering back a little in his alarm.

Cold blue eyes stared at him through the mist of coiling breath, shrouding a firm face. A woman's face? Yes, despite the firm jaw and thin mouth, the expression of suspicion, but control of the situation. This was certainly a woman's face, and what a face.

Mulder realised his top lip was curling up in that slow smile that sometimes sneaked out without his noticing. The one that made Scully throw things across the office at him.

The woman said nothing, she just stared at him.

'Er..' Mulder allowed himself to smile, just a little, not wishing to turn the situation confrontational. 'Are you okay?' he asked, wincing at what a lousy opening line this was.

'What!' the woman barked.

'Well, I, er,..you know. Out here,' Mulder indicated the endless white landscape with a sweep of his arm, 'It's pretty cold. And I, er…' he trailed off. She was still staring at him. He looked at his feet, then back to her face.

* * *

Starbuck had not taken her eyes off the mans face from the moment she decided to make contact. There was not a single sign of authority in his face, not a glimmer of command or confrontation in his eyes. Was she okay? What kind of question was that? You stumble into someone from another planet, out in the wilderness, and you just ask 'Are you okay?'! Was this guy for real?

She decided to play it his way. She might well get further that way, and he didn't seem to be dangerous.

'Well, I am kind of lost,' she smiled a little, 'What do you call this place?'

Mulder frowned, not sure if she was for real. Could she really be all this way out here and not know where she was? Even remotely?

'Er, well, Alaska. Well, More precisely, well, that doesn't matter right now. Let's get you somewhere warm.'

Starbuck froze, taking a firm stance again. He's getting ME somewhere warm?

'Hey, how the heck did you get all the way out here?' Mulder asked the woman, reminding himself that he had been drawn out here by those strange ripples in the ice. Could she have had something to do with that?

'I just flew in. Lost control of my craft. She's just over that rise. I need to get back to my unit to report in, they'll be missing me,' Starbuck babbled out this new idea. Not a bad cover story, she thought to herself, allowing a slight smile and relaxing her frame again. Trying to put the man at his ease with her.

Mulder's alarm bells suddenly all went off at once. This was bullshit. No way did a military craft go down without a major search and rescue setting out right away. Mind you, the blizzard could be holding them off for a while. But any missing aircraft would have shown up on the checks Byers had run before sending him out. And she wouldn't be flying alone up here anyway.

'Over the rise you say, well let's get up there and take a look, your crew need help?' Mulder said, as he started off up the rise.

'No.' Starbuck said, grabbing his arm to stop him, 'No crew. I was out alone. Just me. Now, can you get me somewhere civilised?'

Mulder hesitated, turning back to her. she looked sly now, a cunning coolness about her eyes.

'Let's just take a look,' and he carried on, reaching the top of the rise in a few more steps.

'Oh gods,' Starbuck mumbled to herself, as she turned to join him on the crest.

Mulder looked down to the snowy plain below him. The light snow made visibility much better than earlier. A long, hump showed on the plain, about four car lengths, and a little higher than the truck he had arrived in. That was it, just a long, low, hump. He couldn't see anything more

He turned and called out to Starbuck, 'I don't see it. Are you sure it's just over here?'

'You don't have to yell, I'm right here,' Damn! Mulder jumped involuntarily. she had done it again, creeping up and taking a position just behind his left shoulder without making a sound.

He looked at her now, more carefully. Taking in the whole of her for the first time. Taller than Scully, but still somewhat shorter than his 6', she was broad for a woman, probably muscular, under all that clothing. And what about that clothing? Mulder frowned to himself as he took in the strange insignia on what appeared to be some kind of uniform, though not one he had ever seen. It looked more like some kind of pressure suit. Her eyes flicked down to her feet, then back up to meet his. She must have reasoned it out too.

'Ah. The uniform. Recognise it?' she quizzed, it was always worth trying to bluff it out. This guy could be some local hunter from the sticks. Someone who wouldn't have much idea what the military wore. Especially the space corps, or whatever they had here.

'No,' Mulder replied, flatly. Now his eyes took on a colder edge, for the first time. He folded his arms and, turning his head on one side, invited 'Why don't you tell me about it. And this 'craft' of yours'

Starbucks cover was blown, and she knew it.


	2. Like the coffee?

Chapter 2 Like the Coffee?

"So, Captain Kara Thrace," Mulder said, sardonically, turning to the woman who sat beside him in the cab of the beaten up truck he had borrowed from the nearby airfield. "Tell me more about this 'ship' of yours."

The pair had spent the last ninety minutes trekking back through the snow to the point where Mulder had been forced to abandon the truck. He had found this woman, dressed up in some kind of made-up flight suit, out here in the middle of nowhere, claiming that she had just 'come down' and didn't have the faintest idea where she was. Even Mulder was sceptical.

Starbuck had introduced herself with her official title, preferring to keep her call sign to herself. She felt very much alone here, and the name most of her comrades and friends used for her was too intimate a thing to share with this whimsical, weedy man. At least, for now.

"The Blackbird," She repeated, for the fourth time, "it's a prototype stealth interceptor. How else do you think I gave all your detection systems the slip and made the landing undetected? How **did** you find me, anyway?"

"Landing? From where?" Mulder wasn't going to be thrown off his questioning.

"It doesn't matter where, what matters is that I got here," Starbuck was loosing her rag, "I just wish I could be sure where 'here' is." She muttered to herself, looking out at the surrounding whiteness and up out of the window at a hard, blue sky.

"So, where did you..er.. land from," Mulder persisted, becoming more sure as she talked that she was either a test pilot for some secret stealth plane the military were developing, or she was just completely crazy. He had it about fifty-fifty either way right now.

Starbuck stopped her musing, snapped her eyes front, staring out of the windscreen, and took a long, deep breath. Closing her eyes for a few moments, she gathered her thoughts whilst working out the best way forward. Mulder watched her calm herself, her nostrils flaring slightly as she breathed, the ends of her short, blonde hair trembling a little around the firm line of her jaw.

At last she turned to him, opening her cool blue/grey eyes and dipping her chin slightly as she looked at him from under fair brows.

"I was sent here by Camander William Adama, and President Laura Roslin." She spoke slowly, as if to a stupid child, trying to make him understand. "They sent me to follow our best estimation of where, if anywhere, we might find Earth," Starbucks eyes were deadly earnest, keeping Mulders' locked on hers. "I need to know if this is,' She faltered at the possibility that it might be true, "is this place known as Earth?"

"Hah!" Mulder barked a laugh in spite of himself, "You're good," He pointed at her, chuckling, "you really had me, just for a tiny, millisecond." He indicated with his fingers the tiny degree of her story that he had almost believed. Still smiling, he put his head back, looking to the ceiling of the cab, then turned it sideways to look at her again, his smile fading slowly. Starbucks eyes showed a mixture of disbelief and fury. Her mouth traced a thin, tight line. She didn't trust herself to speak.

Mulder stopped, thoughtful now. "You really do expect me to believe this, don't you? You show me the outside of what frankly looks like an oversized black, metal coffin , flash a few badges and expect me to believe that you're from some other planet. Looking for Earth," He shrugged, "I suppose I've believed worse. But you're," Starbuck was looking about ready to blow her stack. Mulder chose his next words very carefully.

"Well, you're human," He stated, flatly.

"What the hell were you expecting? A frakking Cylon?!" Starbuck exploded at him, still breathing heavily, though she had no words left for this lunatic. She thumped the dash in front of her, staring once again out at the snow, fuming.

"Come on," he said reaching for the ignition key, "at least we'd better get you back to wherever it is that you belong."

Starbuck huffed again, her chest rising in short, frustrated breaths.

"You're stuck in a drift," She growled through gritted teeth, "You'll have to shove her out."

Well, that's one solution, Mulder thought to himself, reaching now for the door handle. They both jumped down from the truck and put their shoulders to the front of the vehicle, easily shifting the wheels free of the trap.

The woman was strong. She had shrugged off her top two layers, revealing a muscular upper body through a close fitting roll-neck garment. It was of some thin material which Mulder couldn't identify right off. But the fabric of women's garments wasn't something he spent a lot of time examining. Not directly.

Starbuck was glad to be finally on the move again. Being still for too long just made her all the more likely to tear somebody's head off. They retraced Mulder's earlier journey, arriving at a tiny, lifeless airfield out on an icy plane just as dusk was closing in.

Mulder read the puzzlement in her face as she looked around, finding no sign of any other life anywhere in sight.

"We'll have to settle in for the night. I'll call up a flight in the morning," He smiled at her, realising that, whoever she was and wherever she was really from, the prospect of a night far away from habitation, with a guy you just ran into, wasn't the most appealing prospect.

Turning into one of the hangers, Mulder killed the engine. He lead Starbuck to a small office area in the rear of the building where they found a couch, sleeping bags, army ration packs and, as Mulder was to find out, a freezing and very hard floor.

As they settled down, after a cold meal of ration pack goo, Starbuck asked, quietly, "Mulder, is that a name? A title? What?"

"My name, Thrace," Mulder replied, "Or should I call you Captain." He finished with a smile.

Starbuck suddenly felt deeply lonely and cold in this alien place. She needed to feel warm and close. She needed to be not so far away from home. She needed this man to befriend her.

"Starbuck." She said, quietly, "Call me Starbuck."

"She's from where?" Scully demanded of Mulder in a half whisper in the kitchen of her town house in DC.

"Caprica," Mulder answered, he gave her a half smile and raised his eyebrows in an ''I don't get it either'' sort of way.

"Which is where, exactly?" Scully was finding it hard to keep her voice down, and she glanced towards the doorway, hoping her words didn't carry.

"It's one of something she calls The Twelve Colonies, whatever they are," Mulder repeated, breathing out a sigh as he looked to the ceiling. "She says they were the colonies of the descendents of Earth, before they were destroyed by some sort of evolved robot race." His soulful smile giving clear evidence of his lack of belief in the story.

"And just remind me, Mulder, she is now in my lounge room because….", Scully's beautiful brow arched a little higher, questioningly.

Mulder just looked at her, squirming as he sought an answer that didn't sound too much like the truth.

"Because you didn't know what else to do with her so you brought her over here," Scully provided for him. She continued in an angry, hissing whisper, "Damn it, Mulder," Mulder admired Scully's restraint for she only NEARLY stamped her foot as she delivered this, fairly reasonable point. "I'm sick of clearing up after you and that silly little gang of yours." Scully checked herself, again looking over to the door. "When are you guys going to grow up?" she finished, in softer tones.

Mulder went into his placatory moves, coming around the counter with almost a perfect hang-dog expression in his dark eyes. "And it's no good trying that 'lost little boy' stuff on me. I've had enough." Scully turned away angrily, tossing the cloth she had been using to wipe the counter into the sink

"I just need you to help me work out where she is supposed to be." Mulder was indignant now, "And I do not have a 'lost little boy' thing."

"Any one can just take a look at her and tell you where she belongs," Scully threw back at him, gesturing towards the door with her hand. The two glared at each other for a few moments. They both knew that Scully would go in there and talk to this stranger, and she would get drawn in, because, if there was one thing Scully just couldn't turn her back on, it was another lost soul.

Scully finally broke her stare, making for the door. Mulder allowed himself a smile of satisfaction, turning to follow her into the lounge room.

"Oh, Scully," He called her back. She paused, looking back at him over her shoulder, a question in her almond, green eyes.

"She told me to call her 'Starbuck'."

Scully raised a crooked smile, her brows arching, "Starbuck. Like the…"

"Don't," Mulder halted her, holding his hands up in front of his chest, "Just don't."

Pushing the door open with her rear, Scully continued into the lounge room.

"Coffee," she declared brightly, offering a steaming mug to Starbuck, and raising another to her own lips. A warm smile of greeting shone in her eyes over the rim as she watched her visitor with interest.

"Thanks," Starbuck took the mug a little awkwardly, her hands unused to this type of small, fiddly, polite ritual. She nodded towards the room in general.

"Your place," she said, uneasy with small-talk. She swallowed and tried a small smile, "er. Nice".

Scully just lowered her chin in a half nod and she turned to sit, sweeping Mulder with a 'who the heck IS this' glare on her way to the couch.

Starbuck remained standing, almost to attention, giving a little tug to the bottom of the tunic of her uniform. Scully and Mulder both smiled, doing anything BUT make her feel comfortable.

It was more like being stuck in front of some guys parents, just because you've been seeing their dear boy for a while. Mrs Whoever in her armchair and Daddy So-and-so perched close to her on the arm of the seat.

Scully, just about put the creamer on it when she smiled and said:

"Okay, Kara, tell me a little about yourself."

The tension shattered as first Mulder, and then Starbuck burst into laughter, Scully allowing a small smile, a little bewildered by this response.

"That's just what I asked her," Explained Mulder.

"Yeah. Sounded pretty lame then too," Starbuck smiled at him, her icy blue eyes shining now, some of the doubt and uncertainty easing away from her features.

"I've just about told you everything she told me, Scully," Mulder said, "But maybe there's more we should know?" He turned a serious enquiry now on Starbuck, the smile never quite leaving his full lips.

"We have a human woman, who is, however, not from Earth. She flies a ship which is designed not to be detected and is conveniently buried in the snow. She claims that the remains of the human race from twelve colonies are chasing about in space looking for Earth, with little idea of where it is or if it really exists. Oh, and they're all being chased by some bad guys she calls 'Cylons'!" Mulder's look sadder now, he continued, "It's a little hard for even me to believe, Starbuck." He said gently.

The shine in Starbucks eyes was extinguished, along with her hopes. She had pictured this 'home-coming'. She had imagined a ready acceptance of her story, meetings with the council of Earth and hurried arrangements for the rescue of the Fleet. She had not expected this bald disbelief.

"Look," She huffed right back at him, "I don't know who you think you are, but I need to get through to someone who has some power around here." She grabbed her top coat and turned, furiously for the door. She had the thing open, before Mulder got to her.

"Woah!" He stopped her, placing a hand flat on the door and closing it gently in front of her face. "Take it easy just a second. You won't find anyone more willing to believe your story than us." She looked him frostily in the eyes. "Really you won't. If you want to get anyone to listen to you, we're your best shot. But you must admit, it's kind of hard to take."

Starbuck was not going to waste another minute with this guy. She grabbed the door handle again.

"Would you let me take a blood sample?" Scully, remaining seated, raised her voice just loud enough to stop Starbuck in her tracks.

Starbuck stared at the smooth whiteness of the door a few inches from her eyes, thinking, carefully. Images of a hospital room, syringes and a white-coated doctor, another room filled with women rigged up with tubes and wires, like factory farmed animals. A memory of Dr Baltar taking samples from all Galactica's crew, his black hair flopping over his eyes as he bent over her arm to take her blood. Another test. More distrust. More medical science, holding her future in the balance.

She turned slowly back to the room slipping off her jacket and rolling up the sleeve of her top, resignation registering on her face.

"Knock yourself out," she sighed, presenting her fore-arm as Scully opened her medical bag. "Nothing to hide, and nothing left to lose." Starbuck grumbled in low tones.

Scully, her auburn hair falling forward, bent over to swab, then prick Starbuck's arm with the needle. She looked up at Starbuck, then down to where she worked, taking two vials of blood.

"It might give us something to go on," She commented, trying to reassure Starbuck that there was a good reason for this procedure.

"Yeah, right," Starbuck sneered, turning her eyes on Mulder, cutting him with the sense of her trust betrayed. Mulder, hands in pockets, looked to the floor, shifting his weight to one foot, crossing the other over it, dragging the toe through the carpet pile.

He looked back up to hold her gaze, a slow, gentle smile rising from his lips to fill his eyes. Despite herself, Starbuck felt somehow reassured once again. She returned his smile, with a slight curving of her mouth, looking down to see Scully watching her. She might, at the very least, be with people she could trust.


	3. And Straight on

AUTHORS NOTE

For those who don't recognise it, the title of this chapter comes from the Peter Pan movie (1953) "second star to the right and straight on till morning". This is the way to Never, Never Land.

You'll find some anoraky astronomy stuff in this chapter, as the Lone Gunmen review Starbucks star charts and work out how she found her way to Earth. If you're not bothered just skip through this as it comes and get on with the story.

If you're an anorak, read on at the end of the chapter and I'll tell you all about it so you can check it out for yourself.

SPOILER WARNING. There's a teeny little spoiler in here if you haven't got to about the middle of New BSG Series 2, but not a major one.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Chapter 3 'And straight on 'til morning.'

Three eager faces crowded around the monitor, peering at the two figures now waiting outside their door. Mulder looked up and smiled, giving a single wave of his hand.

"Hi guys," he grinned up at them.

The inspection continued, Mulder and Starbuck held in the lens like a couple of bugs under a microscope. Starbuck shifted, her thumbs hooked into her belt. She glanced up.

"Oh, yeah," Frohike murmured, taking in the muscular upper body, shining, though short blonde hair, and the confident set of her jaw. "She IS hot." He admitted.

Langley looked up at him quizzically.

"Is that it?" He asked, "No drooling?" Byers glanced over at Frohike thoughtfully. His old friend was certainly not his usual self. They all looked back to the screen.

"Do you think Scully knows he's hanging out with her?" Frohike scowled. Then brightened realising that this might mean that the beautiful red-head was actually free of any entanglement with Mulder.

"C'mon fellas, open up," Mulder said to the camera, "You can get a good look at her once we're inside." He gave a little chuckle at the look of alarm on Starbucks face. "Don't worry," he reassured her, over his shoulder, "They're just a pack of puppies." He pushed the door open as it emitted a loud click and Starbuck followed him inside.

She looked around, feeling more comfortable by the minute. This room was just about the closest she had seen to anything resembling Galactica since her arrival on Earth. Screens shone out from every direction, walls were covered with charts, tables and pictures. Miles of cabling hung down from the back of every flat surface into tangled tresses, dragging out along the floor. Stools and keyboards hinted at workstations and thick slatted blinds cut out any chance of daylight from the windows. It was a blend of Galactica's Command Deck, Baltar's lab, and the mess where she spent much of her 'down time'. The whole place having the air of ordered, but relaxed work. Of people who knew what they were doing, though that might not include a great deal of attention to personal hygiene in some cases. Perhaps there was a hint of the hanger deck in that smell, along with the dry, metallic stench of too many computers in a too small space.

Just a little in front of all this, like a small gang of boys readying to fend off a bully who threatened their treasured den, were three men.

"The Lone Gunmen," Mulder announced, indicating the trio with an outstretched hand, "Melvyn Frohike," Frohike reached out and took her hand for a moment,

"Ringo Langley," The tall lanky one now nodded at her nervously, "And John Byers," at which a slight, suited man stepped forward to shake her hand.

"Hi" She said, a little uncertainly, but tiring now of Mulders seemingly endless stream of people she had to meet before she could actually get anywhere. He had reassured her that these guys were her best hope of proving her provenance and convincing them all that she was not a native of this planet.

"Boys," Mulder continued, "I give you Captain Kara Thrace."

"Hi," Byers uttered, awkwardly. Langley just stared openly, dumbstruck. His most carefully crafted gaming fantasy character had just walked right out of his head in into his life. She was even in uniform! A small smile began on his thin lips. It wasn't a pretty sight.

"Welcome, my dear," Frohike beamed, taking her hand again and smoothly guiding her in to the room, "Come on in, sit down, sit down." Starbuck could not stifle the involuntary smile as he fussed over her, clearing a chair which clearly saw more use as a shelf for stacks of magazines. These he dithered with for a moment, eventually dumping the whole lot atop another pile of stuff on the floor beside a filing cabinet. Frohike looked up from his efforts, finding Starbuck smiling wryly at him.

"Ah! Some sensitive materials," He explained. Her smile broadened knowingly, and she nodded, Big, 'Okay, have it your way,' nods. His eyes twinkled back at her from behind thick glasses.

Mulder had briefed the team on what he wanted, but not about his companion, preferring, in his wickedness, to witness their stumbling reactions to her arrival.

Langley still stood motionless, hands hanging limply at his sides, grungy t-shirt bagging over his jeans, which pooled onto his feet, oozing their way down. Unable to resist gravity. Long blonde hair tangled about his shoulders and his eyes shone uncharacteristically behind thick rimmed specs. His thin smile still slashed across his skull-like face, a large forehead shining greasily above them. Maybe that was the source of the smell which Starbuck found brought Chief Tyrol to mind. A pang of longing for her familiar home, with its familiar faces, shot through her. She smiled her broadest smile back at Langley. He almost visibly reeled from the shock and sat down hard on the seat which was, fortunately, right behind him.

Mulder was almost equally stunned. It was the first real smile he had seen on her face, and it radiated strong confidence, womanly guile and an almost girlish charm. He blew a little puff of breath up ruffling the loose strands on is brow and raising his eye brows, careful to make sure she didn't catch his reaction.

Byers ran a finger round his collar, his tongue flicking, unbidden, out to wet his lips before he spoke.

Turning to Mulder he asked "So, Mulder, what have we got then?" He then glanced at Starbuck with a wince as his words rang in his ears. "I mean," He caught himself, "what can we do for you?" He looked away, aware that this was not much of an improvement.

"Kara here has an interesting history, " Mulder heaved his behind onto the corner of a desk, "and I want you to help me check it out."

"Fire away, missy," Frohike prompted, turning to Starbuck. He nearly ducked as she shot him a glare. "Sorry, I mean…er," Frohike trailed off.

Langley suddenly found his voice, snapping into one of his own personas often used when he was taking command of some desperate situation during his hours of on-line role-play.

"So, what's the story, Captain?" He demanded. Frohikes eyes rolled to the ceiling. Starbuck stifled her chuckle and exchanged glances with Frohike. Langley stood awkwardly, almost to attention.

"Just call me Starbuck," She said warmly, taking in all three of them.

"Oh, what?" Langley now enthused, more boyish than ever and sounding more like his usual self, "like the.."

"Frohike," Mulder cut across him with a loud enquiry, "what have you got from Hubble these days?!"

Frohike was startled, taken completely unawares buy this sudden request. He frowned at Mulder, then smiled and turned to his monitor. Tapping quickly on the key board, he soon sat back with a grin, proudly revealing a series of magnificent images produced by the Hubble Space Telescope.

"These just in," He announced. "Why?"

Starbuck decided it was time to just take a leap of faith and trust these guys. For all their gadgetry they seemed pretty harmless to her. But it wasn't time to reveal her full hand just yet.

"I'm a Captain of the Battlestar Galactica. I am running a reconnaissance mission in search of Earth." She spelled all of this out pretty slowly. "I have detailed star charts from the perspective of our home colonies here," She began to dig in her pack, "Mulder thinks you guys can help me prove that I really do come from The Colonies."

All three of the Lone Gunmen felt a very different kind of thrill run through them, looking, wide eyed, first at Starbuck, then at Mulder and finally at each other. Then they each drew a deep breath, turning to Mulder, a similar question on each of their lips. Not one of them could find the words, however, and Mulder just smiled and nodded.

Frohike was the first to recover, dealing with this revelation by completely side-stepping it.

"A drink," He said brightly, "You'll be thirsty after such a long trip!" He laughed hollowly at his own weak joke, "Let's have some drinks then." And he began fussing around looking for a clean mug.

"Coffee, strong and black," Starbuck smiled at him. She was warming to this man. Something in his manner made her feel secure. There was a fatherliness which put her in mind of Commander Adama.

"Yes, I thought so," He replied, then, clearing space on his desk, "Please, make yourself comfortable." Whatever they had here needed careful handling, he had decided. If she really was a representative of some alien race which was looking for Earth, respect was in order. If she was just some nut case who had blagged her way past Mulder (she must be some blagger at that), then there was no knowing what might set her off. She looked strong and determination showed in every muscle of her face.

"Oh. Oh no!" Starbuck cooed, a smile of sheer pleasure spreading over her face, and a wicked twinkle in her eye, "Is this what I think it is?" She picked up a silver metallic cigar case from the desk, holding it carefully between thumb and forefinger. She turned the case slowly in front of her, her full attention now on its smooth lines. "I can't believe you have these."

Frohike glanced up to see what had drawn this response from her., recognising immediately the wrapped enthusiasm of a fellow connoisseur. He smiled.

"Yep, it sure is. Go ahead, help yourself," He added, "But don't light up. They don't like it," With this last comment he threw a disgusted snarl over his shoulder in the direction of his comrades.

Starbuck looked up at them, a mixture of delight and confusion on her face.

"It's…er…my asthma," Langley tried hard to swallow the word, as he tapped his chest.

"And it's disgusting," Added Byers, "But we let him sit there and sniff it sometimes."

"Hah!" Starbuck barked a laugh, grinning back at Frohike, "Can I save it for later?" She asked, slipping it into her breast pocket at his nod.

"Starbuck here has some interesting data to show you guys," Mulder tried to get them all back on track, "Some star charts, wasn't it?" He raised his eyebrows in her direction.

She dropped her pack to the floor, all business now and started to roll out several sheets of printed paper on the surface in front of her. Most were black and white, densely packed spots of stars on a white background. Several colour images showed different gaseous bodies.

"We found what we think is a common body in our skies, one that is visible from all of the Colonies, from the place where we found our 'map' and, we think, also in the skies of Earth…." She shuffled, looking for the image, " it's…,"

"The Lagoon Nebula," Langley and Byers both whispered, a little awed at what they saw. "But it's huge," Added Langley, delight shining in his eyes now.

"We found a chamber on Kobol," She explained, adding, when she saw their puzzled expressions, "That's a planet where we stopped on our route. There we found a holographic chamber, far in advance of anything we could create ourselves."

"Like a Star Trek holodeck?" Langley enthused.

Starbuck frowned at him. Then continued "From here we found that this nebula should be visible from Earth, but smaller in your skies. So you must be in a direct line with the Colonies and with Kobol!" She grinned up at them, sure now that it must all be clear.

It obviously wasn't, but there was genuine interest here. These men wanted to understand.

"The region where our home worlds are is closer to the nebula," Starbuck continued, drawing forward one of the charts and pointing to a small star cluster, "Here, from Earth it appears to be in the constellation of Sagittarius. We're closer to the nebula, so it appears bigger in our skies. From Kobol it's smaller, so Kobol is not so close to it. And from your planet it appears smaller still. But in all of our skies The Lagoon nebula looks exactly the same shape. So the three locations are lined up perfectly from here towards the direction of the nebula. Like three points along the same spoke of a wheel."

There was silence, from four very serious faces.

"Perfect," Byers said under his breath. A tingle ran through the room.

"But how did you know where to look for Earth?" Mulder frowned.

Starbuck beamed. This was the first indication that anyone was actually believing her story.

"First off there was the fact that The Lagoon looked smaller in your skies, according to the holographic representation. We could work out from that roughly how much further away from the nebula your system must be." She looked at each of them in turn as she explained, finding enthralled faces all round. "Then we found this."

"Here," She said, excitedly, pulling forward another of the star charts.

"This constellation, we call it Basalan. Here's how it looks from our skies." Straining their eyes, they could see several large spots ringed in blue. They formed a tilted triangle, like an arrow head, with a dark smudge just off the point. There was a fainter star at the centre of the triangle, like a big sun painted on the side of a pyramid.

"What's that?" Mulder pointed to the smudge.

"It's a gas cloud, shows up red in the visible spectrum," Starbuck pulled out another colour image and they all leaned in to see the reddish smudge close to one of the bright stars. A drifting trickle of red flowed away from the point of the arrow, like a drop of blood flowing away into dark water.

"From the Colonies we see this grouping as we look away from the Lagoon Nebula, so out towards Earth, but without the bright star at the centre. This image was taken when we were in orbit around Kobol. We gathered huge amounts of data to help us analyse the information from the Chamber," With this Starbuck leaned back in her chair, rubbing the back of her neck with a pale hand. "That star, gentlemen, is your sun."

"Visible from Kobol because it's closer to us," Byers finished for her.

"So, to us this grouping should looke the same as it does from the Colonies?" Frohike had leaned in over Starbucks shoulder to get to the keyboard. "What have you got Langley? Anything we can run this through?" He had already placed the image of the arrow head with the red smudge on the scanner and started scanning it into the machine.

"Yep," Langley replied, leaping to his station and turning to the screen. His fingers worked furiously, Frohike called across a file name, Langley retrieved it and set the thing running. "If we have anything matching this image, this baby will find it." He highlighted the red gas cloud and the triangle of bright stars, setting the software off to find any matches that there might be for this arrangement of features hidden away in the thousands of images of the sky held on file all over the world.

Starbuck looked up at Mulder, her eyebrows raised. "Told you they were good," He smiled, "Langley most probably wrote this programme himself. God only knows for what reason."

"Uh oh!" Langley leaned in close to his screen, scrutinising the match it had thrown up for him. Byers and Frohike joined him. "There it is," He pointed his long bony finger at the two images, side by side, the matched features pulsing slowly green. "Perseus, it's his damn foot!" Langley smiled broadly across the room at Mulder. "The cloud is the California Nebula, and these three stars form part of the constellation Perseus. See? These two bright stars are Atik and Menkib."

Mulder came over to peer at the screen too. On the left he saw the image Frohike had scanned in from Starbucks pile of stuff. On this Langley had highlighted the main features, throwing a green ring around them. On the right was a similar image, the caption showed that it had been shot from the Palomar Observatory in California and was part of NASAs Digitised Sky Survey. On this image a similar arrangement of stars and red dust showed, also highlighted in pulsing green.

"California," Mulder muttered to himself, "And the thing does look a little like its namesake. They used part of the map of the home world to direct the Colonists back to Earth." There was wonder in his voice. "But when?"

"Hey, Langley," Mulder said, his thoughts back in the room now, serious and business like again. "How definite is this?" he squinted at the screen.

"No doubt," Langley hit a couple of keys and practically every faint star on the screen started pulsing bright yellow. "The whole field is a match; the exceptions will be those stars which are visible from Earth, but too far from Kobol to show up on the imaging."

All four men straightened and turned slowly to look at Starbuck, who sat back in Frohikes chair, feet on his desk and the lit cigar between her smiling lips.

"Yep!" She grinned.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

AUTHORS NOTE

I would appreciate some more R & R. This lonely scribe needs a little reader contact from time to time. Thanks.

Now for the astronomy bits. This is just for those who want the nuts and bolts explained.

Imagine a wheel with the Lagoon Nebula, a huge irregularly shaped cloud of gas, at it's centre, and spokes radiating out from that. Because it's a strange shape, it will look different from all angles.

Now imagine one of these spokes with the region of the Twelve Colonies (New BSG) at some point along it. Then, further out from the centre, but still on the same spoke, lies Kobol (New BSG). From here the nebula looks the same shape, but smaller, because it is further away. Now imagine going further out along that spoke and finding Earth. From here the nebula looks the same shape, but even smaller.

This is the first clue we are given to the location of Earth, when it is seen in the skies of the holographic Earth in the Temple of Athena (New BSG).

I did warn you this was anoraky!

Now on to some real astronomy.

From Earth, the Lagoon Nebula appears to lie in the constellation of Sagittarius. So, now place that into your mental picture of the wheel. The constellation is on our spoke, nearer to the Nebula than anything else. So Kobol and the Colonies must lie within Sagittarius as seen from Earth.

With it so far?

Now, to find Earth from the Colonies and from Kobol, we need to think about what you see if you look the other way along the spoke, away from the Nebula.

I looked at a star map for October from the northern hemisphere and Sagittarius lies low on the Eastern horizon. At that time the constellation Perseus lies low on the Western horizon, opposite Sagittarius. Both are pretty large constellations and only part of them is visible above the horizon. I decided that this made them roughly opposite each other in the skies of Earth. That's the only bit of this that I am not certain makes sense scientifically. But this is my story, so it does in this Universe!

Looking at Perseus one of his feet is defined by two bright stars, one of which is Atik, another, Menkib, being part way up his leg. (Note that in some depictions, these two stars are the shoulders of Perseus). The red California Nebula lies just off the tip of this triangle of stars. You can see this for yourself at liked the idea of it being another arrow which shows the remaining Colonists the way to Earth from Kobol, the Golden Arrow of Apollo having revealed the holographic chamber to them.

I stuck our sun at the centre of the triangle, as seen from Kobol. Because the Colonies are further away our sun would be too faint to see with the naked eye from there.

So, inspection of the images taken from Kobol and their old images from the Colonies would have shown up this 'new' star within the triangle.

I made up their name for the constellation formed by the triangle, Basalan.

From our solar system the 'new' star wouldn't show in the triangle, because it is our own sun.

It's worth doing an image search for the California Nebula – it's really beautiful.

That's about it.


	4. Daddy's Girl

AUTHORS NOTE – Cookies to anyone who can spot the reference to a sci-fi classic in this chapter.

Many thanks for those who have reviewed so far, I am very grateful. Magali, we shall certainly learn much about Earths ancient history. As for alien invasion, it is necessary to work out who the true aliens are before I can answer that one.

Earthrite

* * *

Chapter 4 Daddy's Girl

"Scully, can I make coffee?" Starbuck asked, toweling her hair as she came through from the bathroom. She was clean at last, for the first time since leaving Galactica. Was it really only the day before yesterday? Her short, blonde hair stuck out at all angles and her skin glowed brightly.

"I've opened wine," Scully called through from the kitchen. "It's on the table in there."

"Even better," Starbuck smiled to herself reaching for the bottle. She wandered through to the kitchen looking for something more substantial than the delicate stemmed glasses which stood on the table, then pouring wine into a tumbler she found on the counter top.

She appraised Scully from the doorway, seeing her for the first time as a woman rather than a suit. Scully's bare feet flitted gracefully about the small, tiled room as she moved quickly between sink, stove and various cupboards, both high and low, gathering and assembling a meal which smelled better than anything Starbuck had smelled in a long time. In a very long time.

Steam rose and sauce bubbled as Scully expertly seasoned her trademark dish, bolognaise, the makings of which were always on hand in her pantry. She didn't even have to think as the meal came together around her balletic movements. Here was someone very much at home in this domestic environment. Surprisingly so, Starbuck thought, considering how hard Scully had to work to make it in a world which seemed oddly dominated by men. That much Starbuck had realised in her brief time here, and she couldn't work it out. This skewed male/female imbalance was completely alien to her experience. She wondered how many other women of the Colonies would find this strange, or if it was just her fiercely military intent that made her blind to a similar social norm back home. She grinned a short, tight grin as the pain of that thought hit her, deep inside. 'Home' was a word of strange and troublesome meaning for her now, since the destruction of all the home worlds.

"So, Kara, what did you make of the boys?" Scully asked, just a little too brightly, dunking handfuls of dry spaghetti into a steaming pan. "Mulder tells me you knocked them out with your start chart stuff."

Immediately Starbuck was on dangerous terrain again, stepping lightly, wary for the next ambush.

"It was fine," She said, guardedly. "They're quite a .. .well..." She allowed herself a wry smile, not sure what Scully's relationship with the bizarre trio might be, "They're pretty.. .interesting." She finished, studying the wine in her glass.

Scully laughed, "They are certainly that," she agreed. She stopped her flight around the room, alighting now with her back against the counter, glass in hand and turning to Starbuck for the first time. "Feel better now?" She queried gesturing to the brilliant white toweling dressing gown which Starbuck had borrowed. Starbucks shoulders filled out the garment and the hem was just above her knees. It virtually swamped Scully; which was why she loved to snuggle it on after her shower.

"Yes, fine", Starbuck nodded.

An awkward silence sneaked into the room and hung between them. Scully turned to the sink, finding some little job there. Starbuck wondered how the heck Scully managed to cook a meal wearing a white t-shirt, which was still spotless! If she'd tried that, not that she could see herself doing so, Starbuck would certainly be splattered with tomato red spots by now.

Scully's back was silent towards her.

"You could call me Starbuck," Starbuck said quietly, raising her chin, almost in a challenge.

"No. I couldn't", Scully replied, equally quietly, looking down at the onion skins she fiddled with in the sink. "Kara is just fine," She lifted her eyes, now cold with hurt, and turned to look hard at Starbuck, "If that suits you?"

Starbuck took a deep breath, returning Scully's stare with a cool appraising look. "You don't like me much, do you?" She accused, her mouth a thin, tight line.

"I just haven't figured out what you're doing here," Said Scully, her voice carefully controlled.

Starbuck huffed, throwing her weight onto one hip, presenting a less confrontational stance, attempting to lighten the mood.

"I have been trying to tell you that," She said "You just won't believe me."

"I haven't' seen anything yet worth believing," Scully countered. "Your preliminary blood results came through this afternoon. Nothing but pure human, so far as we can tell."

"Well, what do you expect?" Starbuck demanded, a little sarcasm in her voice, "That's what I keep telling you."

Scully bridled, eyes flashing, venting at last the hurt and suspicions she had been carrying around all day.

"Oh, forgive me if I have trouble believing your story," She stormed, angrily. "You come in here, no, you 'fly' in here, like some... some space cadet, full of God knows what nonsense. And clearly trying to..."

"Listen, lady, I ain't no cadet." Starbuck flared now, rising to her full height, towering over Scully. "And if you..."

"Oh, yes, 'Captain'," Scully cut her off, not the slightest bit intimidated. "'Captain Thrace' with your oh-so-clever call sign." Scully's voice dropped now, low and menacing, she glowered at Starbuck. "What I want to know is how the hell you knew about that, and why you're using it to get inside my life." She stopped, breathing hard, flushed and waiting for an explanation.

Starbuck was floored. She stood, open mouthed, her repost dying on her lips. "Knew about what?" She asked, carefully, very unsure of her ground now.

"Oh, come on," Scully invited, "Tell me just how you knew about the 'Starbuck' thing. I only told Mulder about that. And I know he's not in on this." She was tense with her anger now, feet firmly flat on the floor, her chest heaving. One hand on her hip, the other striking an emphatic punctuation to her words pointing firmly and repeatedly at the floor.

Starbuck looked bemused. Her fury passing as she tried to fathom out what was going on here. Had she been left for the night with the REALLY crazy one of the wacko crew?

"Starbuck?" She said with a smile, "It's just a call sign, just a nick name. What's the..."

"Yes," Scully spat, "And it's MY name. The only pet name my father used for me. And no one else. And now you're using it in some sick game." Scully's eyes moistened slightly with these words, "You've breezed in here with the kind of story to send Mulder and those playmates of his into an orgy of excitement. And now I have to listen to them all using my ... my..." Scully's face almost crumpled, as the heart wrenching loss of her father swept over her again.

"Your Dads name for you," Starbuck finished quietly, gentle understanding in her voice.

Scully turned away to the sink again, reaching for her glass and gulping down the dark fruity wine.

"I'm sorry," Was all Starbuck said, before leaving Scully with the privacy she knew she would want for herself at a moment like this. Except that she would want a bottle of something considerably stronger than the red wine they shared now.

The phone rang, jangling the strung-out air. Scully's hand reached out to the familiar point on the kitchen wall, lifting the receiver. "Yep?" She snapped.

"Scully?" there was concern in Mulder's voice.

Scully's hand rose to her forehead, rubbing her temple.

"Yes, Mulder, it's me,"

"How you doing?" he asked, a smile in his voice, relieved, but not sure what about.

"Fine, Mulder, just fine," Scully glanced over her shoulder to see Starbuck settling onto the couch.

"Your house guest doing okay?" Mulder still sensed something not quite right.

"Yes, we're both just fine here," Scully paused, clearly Mulder was waiting for more, "thank you for asking. We're fine... .how are you?" She cringed as this came out sounding all wrong.

"Er.. .yes. . .fine. I'll just.. .er. . .leave you to it then."

"Yep." Said Scully, with finality, "Bye." And she hung up.

* * *

Sitting on the edge of her bed, a damp towel in her lap, Scully switched off the hair dryer to grab the ringing phone.

"Scully," She said brightly, flicking her fingers through her almost dry hair. Glancing in the mirror she ruffled the top a little, then smoothed a few stray strands into place.

"Scully?" Mulder always checked, she never knew why.

"Hi, Mulder," She answered, squashing the receiver between her shoulder and ear, leaving both hands free to return towels to the bathroom, and straighten the duvet.

"All okay with you?" He asked, rustling sounds coming from his end too, as they each went about their separate morning routines.

"Yeah. Hang on," Scully rustled some more slipping a loose shirt on, then clamping the phone again to manage the buttons.

"Starbuck okay?"

"Yes, actually, better than I had hoped." Scully tucked the shirt into her tidy black trousers, then turned her full attention to the call. She talked last night, Mulder." Scully sounded wistful, "About her home and her parents."

"Where" Mulder asked, something bleeping frantically in the back ground. He grunted as he stretched to shut it off.

"Well, she's still stuck on this Caprica place. But, quite honestly, everything she described would fit right into any small-town American scene you care to name." Scully's eyebrows rose, furrowing her brow, as she opened the blinds, the room suddenly flooded with strong sunlight. "But, there was something. Mulder, she talked about a hospital. About rooms full of women being tested on. All linked up to some sort of medical equipment." Scully paused here, her eyes far away and her thoughts drifting, troubled, through her own unknown past. "Mulder. Do you think she could know me from when I was abducted?" The questioning plea of Scully's uncertainty tugged at his heart like the cry of a lost little sister seeking her brother's protection.

"Well, "He said gently, "I suppose it's possible, Scully."

"If she's been through something like that She could be so mixed up that this whole story about the Colonies and the Fleet is pure fabrication." Scully followed her own theory now, walking through the flat as she spoke. "She could have found some way to create those charts and not even know herself that none of it is real."

"Woah! You're making a pretty big leap there, Scully."

"Well, we'll know more later today when the final results come back from the blood I took," Scully lowered her voice as she crept into the lounge room. "When I've got hold of those..."

Scully froze, staring at the couch.

"Scully?" Mulder's urgent voice rang in her ear, "Hey, Scully? What is it?" Eyes wide with shock, Scully replied.

"She's gone, Mulder. Starbucks gone."


	5. Chapter 5 A Loner Alone

AUTHORS NOTE

So this is what happens when you let Starbuck go wandering off on her own! Turn your back and she's getting into all sorts of bad company. That sounds more like the Starbuck we all know and love.

I'm glad to see so many of you are enjoying this little romp. Chapter 6 is well under way, but Cancer Man will give up his little white sticks before I post it, unless I see a bit more R/R. And there is SO much more you want to read.:-)

Regrets for any errors, but my BETA is ill. Big hugs to her.:-)

Earthrite

* * *

Chapter 5. A Loner Alone.

Starbuck's tall, broad build and bouncy walk drew more than one enquiring look as she crossed the street in Uptown Washington, revelling in the delicious feeling of real sunlight on her skin. Her pack and heavy coat were slung over her shoulder and she smiled briefly at the sound of a horn blaring somewhere down the street, and irate driver leaning and yelling from an open window. These sounds seemed so familiar to her, this felt so much like home. Even the smell of the fuel fumes in the air was a little like its counterpart on Caprica.

Starbuck had considered heading back over to those crazy, but switched on guys Mulder had introduced her to yesterday. They clearly believed her story, and it seemed that they might have the resources to help her get through to the kinds of people she needed to talk to. But there was something about the way they were so close with Mulder, conspirators together. She just didn't trust them not to put her right back into Mulder's hands again.

She had tried so hard to persuade them to take her to the authorities, to help her get through to the governments of Earth, so that she could get on with her mission. But they had just told her that her plan was crazy. That no one would believe her story and she would be locked up like some sort of lunatic. Either that, or the authorities would just lock her up anyway, and hide her away to fester somewhere, like all the other pieces of alien artefact and evidence anyone had ever handed over.

So now Starbuck had found her way to where the two 'agents' worked. It was clear that they worked for some sort of law enforcement agency, so maybe she could find someone else there who was willing to listen to her.

She studied the building now from the other side of the street. It was several stories high, long and grey, with rows of uniform windows. Clearly no architectural effort had been wasted on this dull office building. Starbuck didn't like the look of that. In her experience governments lavished great expense on their palaces, declaring their importance and wealth in showy, towering monuments. Maybe she wasn't on the right track at all.

Crossing the street, Starbuck headed straight for the front entrance, a number of suited people milling about her, passing in and out of the building. She could see through the glazed frontage to the foyer inside, where there seemed to be some sort of security checking point, people filing through it single file, exchanging a few words with the uniformed staff there. Those blue shirts, dark trousers, shiny badges and side-arms gave Starbuck pause for thought. Yes, this was some sort of law enforcement, but they just seemed to be checking the credentials of those suits passing continuously in and out.

Starbuck considered her options. She could walk right up to one of them and announce herself and her mission. If Mulder and the others were right she would be carted off and no one would believe her story. Maybe she should try another of the suits, others like Mulder and Scully. Maybe one of them would listen and be in a position to do something for her. But how could she know which one was worth speaking to? There didn't seem to be any way of distinguishing between them. Top brass or administration clerk, she had no way of telling which was which.

Starbuck realised she needed to know more about how this planet worked before she could be sure of making her case to the right people. She looked around her, nearing the street again and spotting a news vendor on the roadside. She stood for a while checking out the publications on offer, surprised to see that she could understand the text. There seemed to be a familiar looking row of glossy magazines on the higher shelves, she dismissed those at once. People of all walks of life might buy and use those mags, but those with any power seldom featured in them. Finally, she settled on a couple of broadsheet newspapers and a couple of magazines showing suited men on the front shaking hands, others in the background applauding. There was another which she just could not resist, though she doubted she would find the information she needed within its covers. The lure of those bright shiny aircraft tempted her so she grabbed the aviation mag too. Anyway, it wouldn't hurt to do a little research into the technical capabilities of Earth while she was here.

Starbuck now made for the coffee bar she had spotted opposite the FBI building, choosing a seat near the large windows and spreading out her reading matter. She blew on the dark surface of her coffee, cooling it before drinking. As she drank her sharp, blue eyes watched the front of the building thinking about her conversation with Scully last night.

If Scully was to be believed, even she and Mulder had trouble getting those in power within the FBI to believe half the stuff they reported on. There was even less chance of their getting anyone to actually get off their self-protecting behinds and do anything about anything. If that was the case, she might have to accept that she would have to return to Galactica empty handed, with no promise of assistance from the people of Earth.

Starbuck felt dejected as she turned back to her reading, studying with an expert eye the lines of a sleek two-man fighter plane.

"Mind if I sit here?" A man's smooth voice broke into her thoughts.

Starbuck looked up quickly, realising that the place was pretty full around her now.

"No," She said to the shadowed face above her, giving him the barest smile, "go ahead." And she turned back to the magazine.

The man put his large mug on the table, dropping a folded paper beside it. He sat and sipped his coffee, milky and smelling of some sort of spice. Was that him or the coffee?

"It's a beauty, isn't it?" He commented, nodding towards the page of Starbucks magazine.

She looked up again, not sure if he was speaking to her. Something caught at her throat as she met his gaze. Those eyes, looking friendly and genuinely interested in her opinion. They were enough of a shock, but it was the smile that really hit Starbuck in the guts. Warm and generous, crinkling the skin at the corners of his mouth, and around his eyes. There was something unmistakably familiar about that smile. The memory of two men she had loved, two brothers. She'd loved each of them in so many different ways.

"The plane, she's a real beauty," He repeated, flicking his eyes down to the glossy photos and back up to meet Starbucks astonished look.

Realising that her mouth was still open, Starbuck glanced down too, taking a moment to get herself together. When she looked back up at him, Alex Krycek smiled appreciatively back at her curling lips and shining eyes.

* * *

Scully and Mulder fidgeted impatiently outside the den of the Lone Gunmen, waiting to be let in. They were talking quickly and quietly with each other, sharing worried looks. Getting a little heated, Langley thought.

"It's no good, I can't make out what they're saying," He moaned to Byers.

"Just let them in, will you." Byers didn't go for these silly little games his fellows liked to play. Trying to work out what people were thinking, what sort of mood they were in or some other nonsense, just from their body language before they let them into the place. He had even had to sit there and listen to the pair of them trying to work out what colour underwear Scully was wearing, from the way she moved, for Heavens sake. On a really slow day it might even be what colour Mulder's were!

"Have you got anything?" Mulder demanded as he and Scully strode into the room.

"We didn't have much to go on," Langley replied, defensively, "Just that she's gone walkabout."

"Well, this is where we find out if she is for real," Scully commented, "she can't get far without any currency."

Mulder looked at the floor and Langley and Byers exchanged glances.

"What?" Scully asked, turning slowly on her heel to face Mulder. "Mulder?" Her voice rose slightly along with her eyebrows.

Mulder squirmed as he answered "Well, I figured she should have something in her pocket. What if we got separated somehow?" He grew more defensive "How was I to know you'd let her go wandering off?"

Scully's mouth opened in disbelief. "You're blaming me for this? And now we have this poor, delusional woman going God knows where. She really saw you coming."

"Could we please focus on the current problem?" Byers quiet, but firm voice cut across the two of them. "Starbuck is missing and we've no idea where to look for her."

"Or even if we should," Scully pointed out, "She got herself a ride into town, a meal and a bed for the night, and, it seems," Glancing disapproval at Mulder, "Some cash in her pocket. For all we know she is just some chancer who has taken what she wanted and moved on."

Each man looked at the other, realising that Scully could have a point.

"Where's Frohike?" Mulder asked.

"He's following a hunch," Langley explained. Scully and Mulder each raised an eyebrow at him. "He's visiting every Starbucks coffee shop in town, just on the off chance."

Mulder spent a long minute gazing at the star charts still strewn on Frohike's desk, his eyes unfocused.

"What if she is for real, Scully?" He asked quietly. "What if she really is alien to this world and knows practically nothing about the way things work. She could be in real danger, and we let her down."

"I think she'd handle herself pretty well in a fight, Mulder. She's no stranger to working things out on her own and living by her whits."

Mulder shared a sad little smile with Scully. "You two really did get talking last night, didn't you?"

Scully's cell phone trilled and she took it from her pocket, turning away from the others to take the call. Then a soft tone sounded somewhere on Byers desk and he sat down to answer his chiming phone. Scully was first to complete her call.

"Mulder, that was Agent Jenkins," She reported, "I asked him to run some further tests on the blood we took from Starbuck. The results are just back." Scully's face darkened now as the full implications of the report sunk in. "Mulder, Starbuck's blood showed some anomalies."

"What does that mean?" Mulder's concern showed in his eyes.

"Whilst her blood tested as human in the initial scan, there was something odd about the structure of the haemoglobin in the red cells. I asked Jenkins to run a spectrograph of the iron content. But it's not iron."

"But it has to be," Byers put in, returning to the group having finished his call. "That's what makes it haemoglobin. That's what makes red blood cells work. That's how they transport oxygen around the body."

"If it isn't iron, what is it?" Mulder wondered.

"Jenkins hasn't been able to identify it yet," Scully explained, "the readings from the spectrograph don't correspond with any known substance. All he can say is that it resembles some sort of metal alloy. He's trying to find out what it could be."

"But how could it have got into her blood, Scully?" Mulder was more bemused by the minute, "And how could she survive if it isn't iron?"

"That's just it, Mulder," Scully's face was etched with concern now; "She must have been born with this element in her biological makeup from the outset. This has to be fundamentally part of who, or what she is. Mulder, she can't be fully human."

"Then she's in entirely the wrong company," Byers said, "That was Frohike calling in. He just spotted her in a coffee shop on East Street. She wasn't alone. Alex Krycek was with her."

"Where are they?" Scully demanded as she headed for the door. She grabbed Mulder's elbow as she went, failing to break through his utter shock.

"So, you mean," Mulder frowned, still not moving. He was rooted to the spot. "You mean, she's actually for real? But, Scully, that means…"

"We'll worry about what it means later, Mulder. Right now we have to get over there." And she tugged him harder, finally shifting him towards the door.

"Frohike's sticking with them. It's Morrelli's, right across from your HQ," Byers said, "He'll stay put until you get there."

"I'll stay on the line with him. Let you know if they move out." Byers called after them.

"I'll find out what Krycek's been up to these last few months. See if I can figure out who's pulling his strings this time." Langley offered, turning to his keyboard as the door swung shut behind Mulder.


	6. 5A: Those Little White Sticks

Chapter 5a Those little white sticks.

Stubby aged fingers drew another white stick from it's cardboard casing, sliding smoothly and leaving it's fellows behind. The hand travelled slowly up to a creased and wrinkled waiting mouth where eager lips tenderly took the stick into their embrace.

The same hand now cupped lovingly around a newly struck match, protecting the infantile flame as it grew to maturity and gained the strength to light the tip of the cigarette. Thirsty lungs inhaled and the mouth smiled.

Dark bushy eyebrows raised in question as the pack was held out to the mans companion, offering a cancer stick to the man they all respected and revered.

"Want one?" He enquired.

"No." The other mans tight lips gave a mirthless smile. "I've given up." And Cancer Man turned away, his Nicorette patch just visible through the thin cotton of his shirt.

AUTHORS NOTE

I did warn you! Read AND REVIEW!!!!!


	7. Saint or Sinner?

Chapter 6.Saint or Sinner?

Starbuck sat in silence in the car, watching Alex drive. She knew that she had no good reason to trust this man, but something in her made her inclined to do so. She searched her own thoughts and emotions now, trying to work out if that was just because he looked the way he did. If Apollo and Zac had ever had a third brother, this was how he would look. Just exactly like Alex Krichec. Starbuck found that unnerving, and the idea of trusting someone just based on the way they looked was crazy, but she had so little to go on in this alien environment. And she needed to start getting some results fast.

Alex had taken her completely at her word when she had outlined her story to him as they talked over lunch, and she had found herself smiling and laughing for the first time in such a long while. She hadn't been able to help herself as he joked about this funny planet he inhabited, making everything a silly, unimportant nonsense for just a little while. She stopped herself suddenly, mid laugh, turning serious and telling him about her closest friend back home. Apollo, who he reminded her so much of, their smiles, their eyes were so similar. She'd felt sharp pangs of anguish stabbing at her then, as she thought of the desperate plight she had left the fleet in when she headed out on this quest for Earth.

A gentle hand had moved the stray strand of short blonde hair away from her eyes and Alex had looked straight into her troubled face, saying

"Kara, you don't have to worry. I know that everything you say is true. And I can get you to the men who can arrange for the help you need."

Starbuck had been amazed then, at this uncomplicated, unconditional acceptance of her and her story. The genuine concern for her situation and the promise of help. She felt much less alone. Even so, her natural caution had kicked in and she was still wary of him, even as he drove her to what he called a safe house, elsewhere in the city. Here he promised her that she would be safe and would have access to communications and information to work out the next stage of her mission. He also said he had contacts himself that would make the next steps easier to take. She was no longer alone in her search for powerful men who would listen to her plea on behalf of the Fleet and its ever dwindling population.

But she still felt uneasy. There was just a little too much readiness to accept her. Something that almost made her think he had been expecting her story. She would make the best use she could of his promised assistance, but be watchful. She needed him now, but she couldn't afford to let herself be blinded by a coincidental similarity between this stranger and her friend and lost lover.

Before leaving the cafe, Alex Krichec had made another call to his controllers, bringing them up to date about the new contact. He was ordered to keep a careful eye on what she was trying to achieve, and find out as much as he could about her. Who she was, where she came from, what technology she used to get to Earth and what equipment she might be carrying. All this was to be fed back to the powers that be. And all the while he was to keep her close. That would be a particular pleasure, judging by what he had seen of her so far. He had no idea why they were so interested in her, and this nonsense about being alien and from some fleet in search of Earth was just that, nonsense. But he certainly wasn't going to mind staying close to her for a while.

He smiled to himself now as he drove her away from the city centre. He had followed her there from agent Scully's apartment earlier that morning, having trailed around after her and the two agents assigned to the X-Files all the previous day. Again, he didn't know why he'd been assigned to do so, but it had been one heck of a boring day, just sitting outside some mediocre apartment block, then back to Scully's apartment for the night.

He pulled into an under ground parking space beneath the 'safe house' and turned to starbuck.

"Okay" he said, smiling broadly, "This is it."

Starbuck smiled back at him, her tight untrusting smile, laced with just enough wide-eyed innocence to convey her apparent helpless feminine gratitude. She reached over the seat to grab her pack from the seat behind, then opened the door and climbed out of the low saloon.

Alex touched the key fob and the car flashed and bleeped to show that it had locked itself. Starbuck raised her eyebrows, surprised to see that these people took wireless capabilities so far, even into the tiniest of tasks. She reflected on how the wireless systems in the rest of the battlestars in the fleet, the more modern ships, had been their complete ruin when the Cylons had exploited those very systems in the final great attack. The older, wire dependent Galactica had survived only because it wasn't flying by wireless systems.

She turned and followed her companion into a stair well where they climbed several flights to the third floor. A conventional key was drawn from Alex's pocket and he showed her into a gloomy living room. She stood just inside the door, still not sure if she was right to trust this man, but he moved quickly through the rooms opening blinds and ending up in a small kitchen area making coffee, talking all the while about nothing in particular. She relaxed, the warmth of the sun reaching her skin as she dropped her pack to the floor and slumped into the couch. It squeaked under her flight pants and she looked quickly up to see if the sound had been heard. Alex was grinning at her, she returned his grin. Then the pair of them burst into raucous laughter.

Starbuck felt that she was going to be just fine with this guy. She was beginning to trust him a little. Seeing now even a little of her own character in his mannerisms. She sat back on the couch, her feet thumping down onto the table, hands raising up to cradle the back of her head. Alex put coffee on the table and sat beside her, heaving out a heavy sigh.

"You've got such a long way still to go, Kara," he said sincerely, "I hope you're going to let me help you some of the way."

Starbuck just smiled, raising her coffee to her lips. She stopped suddenlyLet me , looking at him thoughtfully.

"Why are you helping me, Alex?" she asked simply.

He looked at her for a long while, his dark eyes taking in her face, her doubtful expression. He took a deep breath, deciding that to say anything crass would be a big mistake. Finally he said,

"It's what I'm here for."

"What the frak does that mean?" Starbuck was guarded now, suspecting for a crazy moment that maybe even the Cylons had already found Earth and he was a Cylon agent. But she had to push that thought from her mind. If it were true then her mission was all for nothing and the human race had already lost the fight. She had to stay positive. She had to believe that she still had some useful work to do here.

I want to believe all that you've told me. Some of the things I've seen make it possible for me to believe you, and I want to see you succeed. I want to help."

Starbuck was still not sure. This explanation had holes in it, but she couldn't spot them right now. She turned to her coffee, deciding once again that she would stick with this guy for a while and see where he could get her into. Give it a day or so and move on if his promises proved to be empty. But something was telling her she would have to be very careful.


	8. Every Which Way

AUTHOR'S NOTE

Well, I am nothing if not completely mad. Having written this months ago, I was living under the happy delusion that I had added it to the story. Only on coming to type up the next chapter, did I realise that this one was still languishing in My documents. 

A little polishing off to do on the next one, but you can look forward to reading it soon.

Thanks for sticking with us on our jolly romp.

Earthrite x

* * *

Chapter 7 Every Which Way.

"It's just a frakking ship, okay?" Starbuck shot back at Krychek. She'd had about enough of his questioning her.

The afternoon was dragging on, hot and stuffy in the small apartment where even Krychek was getting tired of his assignment. Conversation with Starbuck had got increasingly difficult as her impatience mounted. She had spent the last forty five minutes pacing around the room, hand on hips, complaining about 'This frakking useless planet.' And 'didn't anyone realise the state the fleet was in' and 'no one back home would ever believe this crazy place where some woman could fly in un-noticed and get precisely no where.'

The trouble was that Starbuck knew very well that this is pretty much how most of the people of the colonies would have been in the days before the Cylon attack. Safe and secure in their beaurocracies. Their cities and civilisations seemingly safe for all time. She knew that a single, lone traveller arriving amongst them with some tall story would not have been given even a minutes notice, except that some of the psychiatric institutes might have taken a mild interest in her unusual condition. Krychek was trying to calm her down again; she wished he would just shut up.

"'Okay," he said, "Look. I've made contact with my men near the President. They'll get back to me soon, then things will start to happen. Just relax; pretty soon things will start moving."

Starbuck spun round to face him, glaring down at him on the sofa where he sat back comfortably, one ankle crossed over the other knee. His arms were outstretched, resting along the back of the couch and his head was tilted just that way, his chin raised just so. Her anger with him evaporated as this image melded with a memory of Zak sitting exactly that way so many times in her own scruffy home. All her fire and venom on behalf of the Fleet sank down inside her, crushed under the weight of her own personal losses. All the time she had been with the Fleet, then returning to Caprica and all the other missions she had undertaken, she had been too busy to feel anything past the anger that kept her fuelled. Too focused on staying alive and getting it right. Now she was all over the place, too much inactivity was driving her crazy.

She had to get herself back on track and get this mission moving again, but she needed to think clearly and work out her next moves. With a growl of frustration she slumped onto the couch beside Alex and reached inside her pack for the one thing she knew right now would help her clear her mind. Her lips curled up as she smiled wickedly at Krychek, drawing a small box from the bag.

"Want me to show you something ….something that's really special to me?" she teased, "You're going to love it." Her smile broadened as she saw him shift in his seat, his eyes flicking to the bag and back to her face, a crooked smile slowly dawning on his lips too.

"It's just a shame it's only the two of us," Sstarbuck said, "its better with a few friends." She slapped her hand down on the table revealing a deck of weirdly shaped cards. Puzzlement clouded Alex's face and he raised a questioning eyebrow.

"I guess we can play Kids Triad, since it's just us," Starbuck sighed, shuffling the deck and starting the deal. "Do we have anything to drink with this?" she asked, fixing Alex's eyes with her own deep blue gaze.

* * *

Mulder caught up with the short round form of Frohikie a second or two before Scully, waiting for them on the corner of Pennsylvania and East Street; the little man was sweating and red in the face. 

"They took off a few minutes ago," he told Mulder, "heading up town in a black Chrysler, Krychek was driving."

"Well, yeah," Mulder snapped, as if this last was obvious to anyone with half a brain cell.

Scully and Frohike exchanged a look.

"Don't mind him," Scully said, "He blames himself."

Mulder's lips tightened keeping back his reply. They had other things to focus on right now.

"Great," he huffed, looking around him as if the Chrysler might suddenly appear if he stared around long enough.

"What now?" Scully asked.

He hated how he was suddenly the boss again when someone needed to come up with a plan. He ran his hand through his hair, across the top of his head, then letting it fall at his side.

"Frohike, call in and see if Langley has anything for us on Krychek's movements. Maybe that'll give us something to go on."

Frohike pulled out his cell phone and turned away to make the call.

Scully squinted up at Mulder.

"We need to find her," she said, stating the obvious, "now that we know her story is true. Krychek could be taking her to whoever is pulling his strings right now. It won't take them long to figure out…"

"Okay, Scully. You don't have to spell it out," Mulder snapped back at her, images of what Krycheks men would do if they got their hands on Starbuck already vivid in his imagination.

Scullys lips clammed shut this time, she looked at her feet, then up along the lines of traffic glinting in the sun.

"Langley has a big fat nothing," Frohike reported stuffing his phone back into his coat pocket, leaving his hand in there with it. "Krychek has been well under all the usual radars for months now."

"He must have been well out of things if Langley can't dig up anything on him," Scully said.

"Yeah," Mulder mumbled to himself, distracted. Wondering what the hell to do now, clutching at straws." Tell them we're coming in to go over those star charts again." He told Frohike, then he strode off moodily towards his car at the curb, turning on his way to call over his shoulder, "And, Scully, Call Jenkins and see if he has anything on that blood yet."

* * *

The short stub of a cigar in one hand, cards and a glass of fine liquor in the other, Starbuck was feeling more on top of things than she had for days. Smoke curled through the room and Alex struggled to stay on the couch, his jeans sliding over its smooth surface as his grip on his leg muscles became more relaxed with every drink.

"You've got the hang of this pretty quickly," Starbuck complemented Krychek, as she let him win another hand. She tilted her glass in mock salute. "Smart guy!"

Starbuck had matched Krychek drink for drink and was giving the impression that her grip on sobriety was slipping away fast. She slid on the couch, her flight pants making the squeaking, farting noise again and shouted with laughter. She fell the last foot or so onto the floor between the couch and the table where her cards sprawled from her hand.

Alex curled against the arm of the couch, crying with laughter, this crazy girl stirring his affection and curiosity more than anyone had for a very long time. He felt a little sad as he thought how long it was since he had allowed himself the space and time for the luxury of closeness with another human being. He stopped laughing, looking down at the top of Starbucks head, at the parting in her short blond hair and the angle of her cheek as she stared at the table. She sighed at the end of her bout of laughter and looked up at him, resting her head back on the seat behind her. Alex reached out and brushed a strand from her brow again, gently tracing the line of her cheek with his finger.

"Kara Thrace," he said, wistfully, "you crazy lady."

Starbuck looked away.

"Yeah," she said quietly, "that's what they say."

Her head rolled over to rest on his knee and Alex found himself gently stroking her hair with no motive other than that it felt good to him. No instructions, no scheming, no secret agenda. It just felt good.

Starbuck allowed herself a few minutes to just enjoy this contact, closing her eyes and working out the next move, and the next. 


	9. Out For The Count

Chapter 8. Out for the Count.

Hefting her pack on her shoulder once more, Starbuck slipped quietly from the apartment, glancing back to make certain that Alex was really sleeping soundly on the floor beside the coffee table. He looked so damn good that way she almost turned back. But she had to start getting somewhere with this mission. So far she had managed to get precisely nowhere in her efforts to alert the leaders of the Earth colony and persuade them to send out some kind of support for the Fleet. She couldn't afford to waste any more time.

She was seriously beginning to wonder what kind of support they would be able to send anyway. She had seen very little activity in the orbits of this solar system as she had flown in, and there was no sign of any frequent space flight at all, from what she could see. It was time she made herself known and got some answers.

She had only two choices; wait for Agent Scully in her apartment, or find her way back to that hide-out Mulder took her to with the geeky guys. Weird they may be, but she reckoned that she might have more chance of some genuine help from them. They seemed like the sorts of guys who would know where a person could get through to the right people. She knew one thing for sure – Mulder and Scully had been right about the chances of getting thrown in a mental asylum if she just started telling people that she was from another planet and that the remains of the Twelve Colonies needed their help. It was clear to her now that, while Earth and the thirteenth colony had become a distant myth in the colonies, the present inhabitants of Earth had no cultural memory at all of their cousins among the stars.

Daylight was leaching slowly from the sky as Starbuck hit the street and hailed a cab, copying the moves she had observed in the people around her when she sat nursing a coffee earlier in the day. She just hoped she had enough currency left from the stash Mulder had given her as she gave the driver the name of the intersection that Mulder had used when he took her to see the Lone Gunmen.

Moments later, Krychek stepped from his building, glancing up and down the street. There was no sign of Kara, even though he had followed her closely from the apartment. He was surprised she had fallen so easily for his rouse. He took a small, silver device from his pocket – yes, there was a good clear signal showing on the screen. She would be easy to follow so long as she kept that pack with her and didn't think to check it for tracking devices. He guessed that she wasn't too much used to the sort of cloak and dagger sneaking around that his kind got up to. Picking up his car, he followed her cab across town and watched her get out and enter the building he had spent half the day waiting outside when he had been tailing her.

* * *

Starbuck was pretty sure she had found the right building, but it looked like so many others – they all looked pretty much the same to her. She sprinted up several flights of stairs, trying twice before finding the right floor. It was the one with a janitors closet at the far end. She checked over her shoulder again before trying the door. It opened freely and she stepped into the little corridor where she knew someone would be checking her out over the monitor.

"Hi, guys!" she grinned up at the concealed camera, just as Mulder had the last time. She felt uneasy in the silence that followed, looking back at the door she had come through and feeling like a rat in a trap.

* * *

"Now what?" Langley voiced the question that all three of them were throwing Mulder's way with their accusing expressions.

Mulder looked to Scully for help, but she just stood there, arms folded, looking at him with a 'so now who's so clever' look on her face. He gave a sigh.

"Now,…well, .. now, we let her in," he said, not daring to add 'of course, stupid!'

Some uneasy looks went around the room. This was so far removed from their normal protocol that Byers looked like his pants were about to cut him in half. Rohike blinked behind his glasses, and Langley chewed on his lower lip.

"Guys!" Starbucks voice came over the little speakers again. Then, "Ah, frak!" as she thumped her hand on the wall.

"You'd better go out there and talk to her, Mulder," Scully said quietly, "She needs our support at the very least."

Mulder looked around him at four faces all in complete agreement. He headed for the door.

* * *

Krychek rounded the corner carefully, making sure Kara was out of the corridor before he moved silently along to the door he thought she had gone through. The sign read…

'NO ADMITTANCE – MAINTENANCE ONLY'

He looked up and down the hall, then tried the handle slowly. The door opened….

* * *

The door closed quietly behind Mulder as he joined Starbuck in the cramped little space which hid the Gunmen from the outside world. Starbuck took an angry step towards him, wiping the smile from his face with her body language alone. _With body language like that, who needs words?_

Mulder opened his mouth to speak, but the words dried in his throat as the door beyond Starbuck opened slowly and Alex Krychek stepped inside.

"Oh, my God," Scully whispered as her eyes rounded to saucers. She forgot to close her mouth.

"Great," Starbuck grinned, her smile a little manic now, "now perhaps at least one of you guys will finally get off your filthy butts and deliver on your promises." She looked from one to the other. "Oh, for fraks sake. Now what?"

Mulder and Krychek stood staring down the barrels of each others guns, stony expressions on their faces.

"Okay, so you two have some unfinished business, I guess, but do we really have to slug that one out right here and now?" Starbuck stood between them, hands on hips and completely dominating that tiny space, despite the presence of two armed, and fully cocked, men.

Scully raised an appreciative eyebrow as she watched on the monitor, and Langley smiled, nodding his head in admiration. She really was the woman of all his wildest dreams.

"Kind of a weird place to set a rendezvous, isn't it, Mulder?" Krychek said, "Even for you. The closet in the basement not small enough for you these days?"

Mulder realised that Krychek had no idea what lay beyond this little closet space, and it had to stay that way.

"Yeah, Kara," he said, putting his gun away, "Let's take this meeting some place else." And he tried to take her arm.

Starbuck shrugged him off, roughly.

"I didn't come here just to 'go some place else'," she said, stepping towards the other door. Less sure now that Mulder's friends were the right kinds of guys. They had presumably just stood by and watched while some other guy pulled a gun on him. Why hadn't they come to help him? And what the hell did Mulder and Alex have on each other? She didn't have the time to deal with any of this.

Mulder stepped to block her way and Starbuck swung for him, her fist connecting hard with his lower jaw and driving his head back into the wall. Mulder slumped to the floor, out cold. Krychek was still armed, and Starbuck felt less happy about sharing this little space with any over-charged male in a suit. She followed through her punch with a swift kick to Krychek's wrist, disarming him. Then smashed her left fist into his jaw. He reeled, grabbed for her arm and snapped her wrist neatly into a lock across his own arm. Just before he could apply the lock, Starbuck used her free hand to grab his hair and force his head back into the wall. The second over-charged, suited guy slumped to the floor.

Starbuck straightened up, taking a couple of deep breaths and tugged her jacket back into place. She turned at the sound of the inner door opening. Scully looked down at Mulder, who breathed heavily onto his chest.

"You'd better come in," she said, holding the door wide for Starbuck.

"Looks like Plan B, then" said Frohike.

"I'll take care of Mulder and Krychek," said Scully, snapping on a single latex glove, "Can you give me a hand, Byers?" she said as she picked up a small bag and headed for the door. "And we'll need some muscle in a few minutes, Langley."

"Just sing out when you're ready," Langley replied, vacating a chair for Starbuck who was accepting a tumbler of something strong from Frohike.

"Get that down you," Frohike told her, "And listen up."


End file.
